The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has started a global campaign to help re...

My brother John, ski instructor to Aspen vacationers, has a term for the town's upscale restaurant food. He calls it "foo-foo food." Although he appreciates fine cuisine, he's just as happy with a burger and fries. When it comes to food, new and different can be interesting as long as we can always fall back on the old favorites. At least we know how to prepare those oldies but goodies. Or do we? In an era when the art of cooking has been put on the back burner, many of us are stuck at the how-to-boil-water stage. Careers, kids, and pets leave little time for culinary creativity. This is why we find such books as Gourmet Cooking for Dummies at the local bookstore. Although I'd prefer "inexperienced" as opposed to "dummies" when referring to non-cookers, folks need to know the basics. As Thanksgiving weekend rapidly approaches, panic attacks are occurring nationwide over the prospect of cooking Thanksgiving dinner and feeding the in-laws in the days afterwards. That won't be a problem if we have a meal plan and a few easy recipes under our belts.

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